Joseph Anthony (Joe) Manchin III (b. August 24, 1947) is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from the state of West Virginia. He succeeded the late Robert Byrd in a special election in 2010.

Manchin won re-election in 2012.[1] He defeated Sheirl Fletcher in the May 8, 2012 Democratic primary and faced Republican John Raese in the general election.[2]

Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Manchin served as the governor of West Virginia and as the West Virginia Secretary of State.[3]

Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Manchin is a more moderate left of center Democratic Party vote. As a result, he may break with the Democratic Party line more than his fellow members.

Biography

Manchin entered West Virginia University on a football scholarship in 1965. He graduated in 1970 with a degree in business administration. He then became involved in several family-owned businesses before launching his political career.[4]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Manchin's academic, professional and political career:[3]

Issues

Political positions

Gun Control

Manchin released a tv spot in June 2013 in response to the ads the NRA ran against him for working with gun control advocates on background checks. Manchin is a member of the NRA, but supports additional gun control legislation. In his new ad, Manchin holds a rifle and says he continues to fight for gun rights as well as safer communities.[7]

Gay Marriage

Sen. Joe Manchin is a supporter of the Defense of Marriage Act, and is opposed to gay marriage. He is one of nine Democratic senators to oppose gay marriage. His spokesman, Katie Longo, enunciated his position, saying, "Senator Manchin believes that a marriage is a union between one man and one woman. His beliefs are guided by his faith, and he supports the Defense of Marriage Act."[8]

Controversies

As West Virginia State Senator

Uncle's impeachment trial

As a state senator, Manchin heard the impeachment trial of his uncle, A. James Manchin, then the State Treasurer.

As Governor of West Virginia

Massey Energy

In July 2005, Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship sued then-Governor Manchin alleging that he violated his First Amendment Rights by threatening to retaliate with increased government scrutiny of his coal operations.

Sago Mine disaster

During the 2006 Sago Mine disaster of early January 2006, Manchin initially appeared to confirm reports that 12 miners had survived. These reports proved to be incorrect three hours later, when it was confirmed that only one miner survived the accident. In an early-morning press conference on January 4, Manchin acknowledged that an unintentional miscommunication had occurred with rescue teams within the mine, and stated that the incorrect information he received regarding the status of the miners was not received through official channels. Although he did not confirm the story, the press assumed he did, and no one is currently aware how the story was confirmed.

His handling of the Sago mine incident may have enhanced his popularity. In November 2006, SurveyUSA ranked him as one of the most popular governors in the country with a 74% approval rating. [11]

On February 1, 2006, Manchin ordered a stop to all coal production in the state of West Virginia pending safety checks after two more miners were killed that day in separate accidents.[12] A total of 16 West Virginia coal miners died from mining accidents in early 2006.

Iraq visit

On April 15, 2006, during an Easter visit to U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq, the governor caused a controversy by posing for photographers while signing two missiles at Balad Air Force Base. One of the messages read, "Sending you to hell, from Almost Heaven, West Virginia." He explained his intentions to the media, stating, "I just thought, 'Hey, these are people doing tremendous harm to our people.' I wanted to send them a little message."[13] After receiving several complaints, Manchin issued an apology.

Fiscal Cliff

Manchin voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by a 89/8 vote on January 1, 2013.[14]

Endorsements

2012

Heading into the primary, Manchin was endorsed by the West Virginia AFL-CIO's Committee on Political Education.[15]

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Joe Manchin, click [show] to expand the section.

2010

Manchin was elected to the Senate by a special election on November 2, 2010, to fill the late Robert Byrd's seat.[17] Between Byrd's death in July and the special election, Byrd's seat was temporarily held by his chief counsel, Carte Goodwin.[18] He defeated John R. Raese (R), Jesse Johnson (Mountain Party) and Jeff Becker (Constitution).[19]

U.S. Senate, West Virginia, 2010

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Joe Manchin III

53.5%

283,358

Republican

John R. Raese

43.4%

230,013

Mountain

Jesse Johnson

1.9%

10,152

Constitution

Jeff Becker

1.2%

6,425

Total Votes

529,948

2004

Manchin announced his intention to challenge incumbent governor Bob Wise in the 2004 Democratic Primary in May 2003; however, Wise decided not to run for re-election after a scandal, becoming the first governor not to do so since running for re-election was permitted in 1972. Manchin won both the primary and general election by large margins, and his election marked the first time that two persons of the same political party have followed one another in the governor's office since 1964.

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Manchin is available dating back to 2010. Based on available campaign finance records, Manchin raised a total of $13,862,110 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 25, 2013.[20]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Manchin missed 9 of 631 roll call votes from November 2010 to April 2013. This amounts to 1.4%, which is better than the median of 1.7% among current senators as of April 2013.[26]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Manchin paid his congressional staff a total of $1,790,208 in 2011. He ranks 2nd on the list of the lowest paid Democratic Senatorial Staff Salaries and he ranks 11th overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, West Virginia ranks 22nd in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[27]

Net worth

2011

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Manchin's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $3,614,101 and $11,686,000. That averages to $7,650,050, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senators in 2011 of $20,795,450. His average net worth increased by 6.58% from 2010.[28]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Manchin's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $3,697,087 and $10,658,000. That averages to $7,177,543.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senators in 2010 of $19,383,524.[29]

National Journal vote ratings

2012

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Manchin ranked 53rd in the liberal rankings in 2012.[30]